Archived News for Industry Professionals

More than 1300 jobs are likely to be destined for North West Queensland following the approval of an $800 million mining lease in the Mount Isa area.

The Queensland Government has announced that Legend International Holdings had received approval for a second mining lease in the North West Minerals Province.

Legend estimates that there is more than 200 million tonnes of mineral reserves in the area, and expects that mine will operate for 60 years.

Legend International Holding project manager Ed Walker said a staged development of production on its two granted mining leases would take place and a third mining lease covering the project was being applied for.

Pre-competitive mining data release for South Australia's outback

Geoscience Australia has released to the mining and exploration industry new pre-competitive data collected across a large area of South Australia.

Rio Tinto buys into Riversdale

Rio Tinto has acquired a majority interest in Riversdale Mining Ltd delivering control of significant tier one coking coal projects. Rio Tinto’s shareholding in Riversdale passed 50% and may increase further with the takeover offer remaining open until 20 April 2011.

Call for comment on EIS for Byerwen Coal project

The Queensland Government has launched an environmental impact study of the proposed $1.5 billion Byerwen coal mine in the Central Highlands.

New petroleum exploration areas opened up

The Australian Government has released the largest offshore petroleum exploration acreage in more than a decade, comprising 29 areas across nine basins off the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania and the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands.

Announcing the release at the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association's annual conference in Perth, Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson said that stakeholder nominations had underpinned every area in the 2011 release, with most receiving multiple nominations.

APPEA report supports call for LNG carbon tax exemption

The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) has released an independent study outlining potential global greenhouse gas benefits associated with Australia expanding its liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry.

New research centre for steel industry

Shanghai-based Baosteel Group has partnered with The University of Queensland, University of New South Wales, Monash University, and the University of Wollongong to establish the Baosteel-Australia Joint Research and Development Centre.

Blueprint for sustainable coal seam gas released

The coal seam gas industry in Queensland is growing rapidly but without research to understand the impact on rural communities and the environment, a group on the Darling Downs says.

Strong interest in WA drilling program

The most recent round of the State Government’s co-funded drilling program has again attracted significant interest from resource companies eager to explore Western Australia’s greenfields or underexplored areas.

John Holland wins Anglo American mining services contract

John Holland has secured a three-year $144 million mining services contract with Anglo American's metallurgical coal business at Lake Lindsay and Oak Park surface coal mine operations near Middlemount, in central Queensland.

Olympic Dam project advances

BHP Billiton has announced its planned expansion of the Olympic Dam site has progressed into the feasibility study phase, which will be followed by the project's Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and formal assessment by the Commonwealth, South Australian and Northern Territory governments.

Treasury optimistic on resources outlook

An overview of key themes from Treasury’s Business Liaison Program, held in February and March, has noted that the economy’s continuing strength has been underpinned by the mining sector, with strong external demand for resources exports and a range of major mining investment projects underway and in the pipeline.

Regal to trial new methane extraction technology

Enhanced Biogenic Methane (EBM), a wholly owned subsidiary of Regal Resources, is conducting a pilot project in Victoria for its biogenic methane enhancement (BME) technology.

Strong outlook for civil engineering construction sector

Economic Analyst, BIS Shrapnel, has released its annual study on the outlook for the civil engineering construction sector in Australia, finding that the sector is growing strongly, with 25% growth forecast for the next three years due to mining, LNG and flood reconstruction activity.